I'm all for a measure of risk* but it has to be within parameters- on the first section of the downhill is circa 3-5metres of grass with netting (obviously a drop)- what if he made a mess of the bend and came off just before the bend?

Nevermind the stairs at the beginning (fullface?- an oversized fullface and a young neck).

I didn't get any further into it- yes hes doing bloody well but I stopped watching after a short while.

A 5 year old who can ride a bike down a relatively smooth trail. Impressive but not a massive risk I would have thought.

We have had more than one 4 year old doing a lake jump at the Big Bike Bash including one who did an almost perfect fully extended Superman in 2012 who's photo was on the event schedule this year which pleased him.

edit: on a serious note tho my parents never knew where I was when I was a kid. I was building ramps out of timber I used to find that someone had fly tipped somewhere with house bricks. If my parents knew they would of been a wreck. I could of been doing anything and they wouldn't of known. My mates used to jump 20 ft off the lock walls into a dirty canal in the summer. But yes I'm now a over protective parent because of what I used to do and see.

Blimey Hora, I was expecting backflips and 30ft drops from that reaction!

I think it's great. OK, there are steep drops to one side but not for long and you've no idea how long he's been riding that kind of terrain and how comfortable his Dad is with his ability. All in all the trail looked very tame and he looked well in control. Well done him, and well done his Dad for getting him good enough (and confident enough) to ride that stuff.

The only bit that made me wonder was the North Shore towards the end, one wrong turn and he's off a drop, but I would imagine his Dad has walked him through it plenty of times.

Also, it's a different lifestyle in the mountains/ski resorts if you live there all year round with your family. Hard to explain but these kids dont have the sorts of activities that kids in towns/semi rural areas do.

For example, there aren't soft plays, cinemas, bowling alleys etc that my kids have. Also there tend to be fewer kids in these areas so their friends tend to be of a much more diverse age group and often knock about with kids a few years older than them and do what they are doing. Plus, due to property prices out there, most people live in pretty small apartments so kids want to be out as much as possible.

This means that children there tend to go up the hill from a much earlier age and be it on skis or bikes etc and get used to the environment and it's associated risks. When we lived in ski resorts I remember skiing with my friends kids when they were 4+ and the little buggers would hoon about like nutcases. Sadly they're all 11+ now and leave us older folk for dust which is rather annoying. I really regret moving back to the UK just as my two were born because I would have loved them to have that kind of lifestyle. Far more fun and I find gives them the chance to develop at an early age.

Me and my daughter were sitting in the car just the other day, waiting to join a roundabout when a guy crossing the road on a bmx hopped onto and manualled the traffic island and hopped up the kerb the other side. She now wants a bike that 'jumps' this Xmas.

There is no way she will be seeing this clip, because she'll be wanting a 20" Ramones too and thats not happening this year, because I've just seen the price of them (€550)

Nothing in there that my boy wasn't doing at the same age. All nice flowing smooth single track. its not like he was jumping and landing in a rock garden.Go to a bmx track and there are loads of little rippers. Hora you want to go and see what kids that age can do on ski's, that would really upset you.